Is Avengers: Endgame Opening Early In China?

Is Avengers: Endgame Opening Early In China?

Audiences are a month away from Avengers: Endgame, and anticipation has reached a fever pitch. With Captain Marvel in the rear view, all eyes are on what The Russo Brothers will bring to the table when Endgame finally arrives in theaters, and catches us up on the world after Thanos' finger snap of death. Luckily, some brief trailers and epic posters have been provided to help satiate the hunger of the rabid fanbase.

After a series of character posters were released (and revealed the fate of certain characters), the next bit of marketing material to drop was the poster for Endgame's Chinese release. Aside from how epic the poster was and its inclusion of the dusted characters, there's one thing that fans noticed: an earlier release date. You can check out the poster below, which indicates the blockbuster will arrive in theaters on April 24th, two days before its set to arrive in the US.

Does anyone else have chills? This poster is an epic way to represent the full cast of Infinity War and Endgame, while also highlighting the focus on the surviving heroes. After all, they'll have to unite in order to fight Thanos and hopefully reverse the affects of The Decimation. But that release date is new, which may indicate that international audiences will get access to the Marvel blockbuster before domestic moviegoers.

The Chinese poster for Avengers: Endgame arrived on the internet today, and quickly became viral on social media. While fans' first reaction was to enjoy the epic visuals of the art and the inclusion of new characters, the truth bomb about the film's release date had fans in the US going through some serious FOMO. After all, two days is just too long to wait for the epic conclusion of Marvel's Phase Three.

Alas, cinephiles in the states will just have to grin and bear it, as Endgame is set to arrive in just a month's time. Until then, fans will have to continue debating and theorizing what might come when The Russos final Marvel blockbuster is finally here. And this poster might tease some new developments, as supporting characters from various franchises pop up that are new.

Marvel fans will immediately spot Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, who made her debut in Thor: Ragnarok. Valkyrie made a serious splash in her first appearance, but was noticeably absent from Avengers: Infinity War. And considering that the blockbuster opened on the Asgardian ship, her absence was suspect But Val finally popped up in the new character posters, confirming she survived The Snap. And now it looks like she'll have a role in the upcoming battle against Thanos.

Doctor Strange's Wong is also in this new poster, after also being left out of the first round of marketing material. Wong managed to make out Infinity War without turning to dust, and it likely guarding the Sanctum Sanctorum. And with Doctor Strange no longer with us, Wong's role in the mystical world of the MCU may be all the more important.

Despite being mostly blacked out, the fallen heroes are arguably the star of the new Avengers: Endgame poster. The upcoming blockbuster is focused on the heroes who made it out of Infinity War alive, but the dusted characters are still very much apart of the film's blood. The latest trailer for Endgame paid tribute to the dusted characters, and the countless fatalities that Thanos took throughout the course of his mission for galaxy-wide genocide.

The dusted characters' silhouettes are shown at the bottom of the poster, including characters who weren't featured much throughout the course of Infinity War. For instance, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is center stage, even though he didn't pop up until his iconic mid-credits scene. Joining him in the front row are Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, and Vision.

The second row features more dusting characters, and the far left of the poster features Letitia Wright's Shuri. Shuri made her debut in Black Panther, and quickly became a fan favorite character. She had a tertiary role in Avengers: Infinity War, attempting to free Vision's consciousness from the Mind Stone. She eventually took arms against Corvus Glaive, but Thanos' child remained completely focused on the android. Seeing her use her signature gauntlets was the last time Shuri was seen onscreen, and her fate was left unclear in the wake of Thanos' snap. But it was sadly revealed last week that Shuri also faded to dust, putting Wakanda's future in more jeopardy.

From looking at the dusted characters in a row, it's highlighted just how hard the Guardians of the Galaxy were hit by Thanos' assault. In the end of Avengers: Infinity War, only Rocket and Nebula were left alive. Gamora was killed by her adopted father in the movie's second act, so he could acquire the Soul Stone from Red Skull. And when the Mad Titan eventually collected all the Infinity Stones, audiences were left to watch in horror as Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, and Groot all faded to dust before our eyes. As such, something big is going to need to happen in order for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to go forward.

Of course, most moviegoers assume that the surviving Avengers will find a way to reverse the affects of Thanos' snap. With the OG Avengers coming to the end of their contracts, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe presumably lies in the new class, including the likes of Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange. But that trio of characters are dust, as are other fan favorites like Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and Bucky. So unless Phase Four will be set in alternate dimension (not out of the question), the dusted characters will need to be revived somehow. But the question is: how?

All will be revealed when Avengers: Endgame finally arrives in theaters on April 26th. Or if you're in China, you get lucky and can see the blockbuster on the 24th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Captain Marvel Is Getting A Box Office Boost From Avengers: Endgame

Captain Marvel Is Getting A Box Office Boost From Avengers: Endgame

The story of the box office this past weekend and perhaps our lifetimes was Avengers: Endgame, which snapped away nearly every opening weekend record in existence with an absurd $357.1 million domestic haul and over $1.2 billion worldwide. Believe it or not, the MCU’s culmination film wasn’t the only title in theaters. In fact, there was another Marvel movie playing as well, Captain Marvel to be specific, and it is receiving a nice box office boost from Endgame.

The domestic box office enjoyed the biggest weekend of all time with $401.65 million according to Deadline, with the largest chunk of that obviously coming from Endgame. That rising tide lifted Captain Marvel’s boat as well because the MCU solo film came in second with $8.3 million. That might not seem like an impressive number on its own, but in context it is clear that Captain Marvel is getting a major rub from all the hype around Endgame.

Captain Marvel has been a massive success in its own right and has earned $414.5 million domestic and over $1.1 billion worldwide, but it was winding down its theatrical run. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s film released all the way back on March 8 and by the weekend of April 12-14 it had dropped to sixth place at the box office with $8.6 million according to Box Office Mojo.

The weekend before Avengers: Endgame, it started to look like the Brie Larson film was getting a bump as it rose 5.7%, climbing to fourth place with $9.1 million. But this past weekend, in its eighth weekend in release, Captain Marvel took second place at the box office, dropping only 8.7% to $8.3 million from 2,435 locations. Remarkably, Captain Marvel has maintained this hold and gotten a boost at the box office all while continuing to shed theaters.

This seems to be pretty clearly a result of Avengers: Endgame spreading the love and elevating its MCU brethren (sistren?) and it makes sense. While I tend to think that the MCU has a coterie audience that sees all the movies, it is possible that some MCU fans and more casual audiences still needed to catch up on Captain Marvel or wanted to see it as part of their pre-Endgame MCU rewatch.

If you couldn’t get Avengers: Endgame tickets till Sunday, why not make a weekend out of it and hit Captain Marvel on Saturday? This is pure speculation but it’s also feasible that audiences that skipped Captain Marvel saw how badass she is in Avengers: Endgame and decided that her solo film was worth checking out.

Whatever the reason, this past weekend was all about Avengers: Endgame and the MCU overall and Captain Marvel benefitted from that.

Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame are now playing. If you still need to see the latter, or want to see it again (who doesn’t?), make sure you know what ticket to buy. Also, be sure to take a look at our 2019 Release Schedule to see all the other big movies headed your way this summer.

New Toy Story 4 Trailer Shows Buzz Flying And Rex Panicking

New Toy Story 4 Trailer Shows Buzz Flying And Rex Panicking

As the summer release of Pixar’s fourth Toy Story adventure is now just under three months away, the studio is starting to give us a closer look regarding just what the beloved toys will be up to this time around. We already know we’ll meet a craft-project named Forky, the gang will go on a roadtrip with Bonnie and Woody will reunite with Bo Peep at a carnival. The new international trailer is showing us a bit more of Buzz Lightyear’s storyline, along with some memorable lines we already can’t wait to quote. Check it out:

Excited yet? The Disney UK trailer features a ton of the fun footage we have seen thanks to the release of the full Toy Story 4 trailer last week, but also has a few more tidbits to show off we have yet to see until now. First off, there’s a great Rex line that will certainly find its way into reaction gifs: “the panic is attacking me!” The plastic T-Rex looks to be talking about the toys’ upcoming road trip, but it’s a great addition to the anxious character’s other lines such as “I just don’t think I can take that kind of rejection” and “Oh, I hate all this uncertainty”. Same Rex. Same.

Another new moment seen in this new trailer is a bit more of what looks to be a hilarious exchange between Woody and Forky on the side of the road. The craft project runs away from the vacation because he doesn’t feel like he belongs there and Woody goes after him to convince him to come back to Bonnie. The new footage features Forky asking Woody to carry him before Tom Hanks’ iconic character gives him a hard “no”.

There is also more footage of what will be going on for Buzz in Toy Story 4. After Woody and Forky leave the RV, Buzz plays the hero (as always) and decides to opt for his own rescue mission and fly out the window. The character voiced by Tim Allen seems to learn nothing from the first movie, as his flight attempt turns into one big “fall with style” that gets him captured and turned into a carnival prize.

Buzz ends up next to Key and Peele’s new characters, Ducky and Bunny, who seem a little threatened by his presence in the toy lineup. Ducky makes fun of Buzz by saying “To infinity and my foot” while kicking the space cadet before it gets stuck in his helmet.

The new Toy Story 4 moments are primarily comedic ones that tease some laugh-out-loud moments between the new and old toy characters as they venture into the carnival setting that the new movie seems to largely take place in. Where will the movie take us (and our tears) this time? The movie comes out on June 21, 2019.

Mark Strong Finally Got To Be The DC Villain He Was Meant To Be In Shazam!

Mark Strong Finally Got To Be The DC Villain He Was Meant To Be In Shazam!

If you’re looking for an imposing villain with strong features and a voice like smooth oak, Mark Strong is one of the best people you can hire for the job. Hollywood is certainly not afraid to admit that fact, as he’s been cast as the baddie quite a few times in the comic book world, most notably in Kick-Ass, Green Lantern and now as the vicious Dr. Sivana in Warner Bros.’ Shazam. And it’s in that last film that Mark Strong finally got to be the baddie he was always meant to be in the DC Universe.

The story of how Green Lantern went wrong is basic comic book movie history, with a lot of factors leading to the failure of the Ryan Reynolds film in theaters back in 2011. But one of the best things to happen to that film was Strong’s casting as Sinestro, a high-ranking member of the Green Lantern Corps who tried to whip smart-assed rule-breaker Hal Jordan into shape. Of course, this was only a prelude to the eventual fate of his character, which was shown in the film’s post-credits sequence.

Sadly, the big heel turn left Mark Strong rather bummed out when it came to showing his antagonistic chops, as Green Lantern never got the sequel it was gearing up for. While that DC character is definitely getting a reboot and Strong has made his peace with that, there’s still some regret as to how Sinestro was handled overall. And when CinemaBlend recently got to sit down with the actor as part of Shazam’s big junket day, he compared his two very different DC experiences as follows:

I never really got to take Sinestro to where he’s famous for. The Green Lantern that we did, he’s the head of the Corps, but his only problem in that movie was that he was pretty down on [Hal Jordan.] He’s a kind of almost like a military overseer, making him get into shape and stuff. None of the evil came through there, none of the badness. It was only in the credits sequence, when he puts on the other ring, that I thought he actually started to come into himself, and that’s the bit that I wanted to take to the next level. But I feel that I’ve been able to do that with Silvana

Shazam’s Dr. Sivana is definitely the DC villain that Mark Strong was always meant to be, as right from his character’s origins, there’s an energy about him that’s just waiting to turn sinister. Only, instead of promising such an event in a post-credits sequence, director and recent guest on our ReelBlend podcast, David F. Sandberg’s film goes ahead and shows us Strong’s dark side in the first act, and continues to let it shine throughout.

Now that’s not to say that being a villain is Mark Strong’s only claim to fame, as the man has racked up quite a resume. Even in the comic world, Strong has been seen as the charming and lovable Merlin, tech guru to the Kingsman organization in the two Matthew Vaughan-directed films we’ve seen thus far. But when it comes to actors we’d trust in the role of the person we can sympathize with, while simultaneously hating their every move, Shazam! picked exactly the right person to portray that very kind of person. You can feel it as you watch Strong talk about his role in the film, and the big difference between his two big DC Comics experiences, in the video below:

Having Mark Strong playing Dr. Sivana only helps anchor down the film’s lighter treatment of the themes of super powers, who’s truly worthy to possess them and what people do with those powers once they’ve gained them. With his side of the bargain fulfilled, seeing the kids of Shazam! squaring off against the deadly doctor is only that much more rewarding and crowd pleasing. And when it comes to the DC Universe, those are two of the best adjectives to be associated with their recent output.

Watch Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana threaten the world, and some foster kids standing in his way, in Shazam! when it opens in early shows Thursday night.

Jared Leto Reveals First Look At Sony’s Morbius Movie

Jared Leto Reveals First Look At Sony’s Morbius Movie

Last October, Venom kicked off Sony Pictures’ own shared Marvel universe, and Morbius will keep the ball rolling next year. Morbius the Living Vampire’s cinematic adventure was announced back in November 2017, and now principal photography has finally begun, with Jared Leto playing the blood-sucking Marvel character. To commemorate finishing the first week of shooting, Leto has shared the first official look at Morbius, which you can gaze at below.

Ah, the old ‘strategically-placed clapperboard’ trick. While we can’t make out Jared Leto’s full Morbius look in this Twitter picture, his eyes seem to have a sickly quality to them. Assuming that Michael Morbius will look more monstrous as a vampire like his comic book counterpart does, then I’m guessing this particular scene takes place when Michael is still fully human and suffering from a blood disease or whatever his ailment in the upcoming movie is. It’s logical to assume that this guy won’t be running any marathons in his current condition. In any case, since there’s still a lot of time to go until Morbius wraps up principal photography, maybe we’ll be treated to an official, unobscured look at Leto vampire-ed up before the cameras finish rolling.

For those unfamiliar with Morbius the Living Vampire, Michael Morbius, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, attempted to cure his blood disease with a treatment involving vampire bat DNA and electroshock therapy. This treatment did succeed in curing Michael of his disorder, but it also turned him into a pseudo-vampire. He obtained amazing abilities like super strength, flight and an accelerated healing factor, but he now also had to ingest fresh blood on a regular basis to stay alive. While no specific plot details about the Morbius movie have been revealed yet, it’s expected to follow this same basic premise. This movie marks Jared Leto’s second time contributing to the comic book movie genre, the first time being as The Joker in Suicide Squad.

Like Venom, Morbius won’t see the eponymous character fighting Spider-Man, though perhaps that could change later on in the franchise (though I doubt it would be with Tom Holland’s version of the Web-Slinger). Also like Venom, Morbius is expected to portray the character as more of an anti-hero than a full-blown super villain, with an unofficial plot description saying that Morbius the Living Vampire will prey on criminals he deems are unworthy of life. The cast also includes Matt Smith, Adria Ajona and Jared Harris. Life’s Daniel Espinosa is directing, and Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless wrote the script.

Morbius will be released in theaters on July 31, 2020, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress. For now, you can look through our 2019 release schedule to find out what movies are coming out this year.

Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Is Still Hoping To Play Spock Again

Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto Is Still Hoping To Play Spock Again

Star Trek found new life on the big screen when J.J. Abrams brought the franchise back with a new timeline in 2009. That film's success spawned a pair of sequels and we were expecting a fourth film to come along in short order. However, the most recent word is that the film is not currently an active concern for the studio. Having said that, Zachary Quinto certainly hopes that he gets a chance to play Spock again at some point.

When recently asked by Vulture about the status of Star Trek 4, not to be confused with The Voyage Home, Zachary Quinto stated that he had no idea what the plan for the franchise was at this point, though he made it clear that he certainly wants a fourth movie to happen, saying...

I don’t know what’s happening with that, and I’m trying to figure out what, if anything, will be the future for it. I feel glad that the franchise is having its own life continuing on [with Star Trek: Discovery] and my hope is that we’ll also get to go back and play those roles again. But there’s no telling right now if it’ll happen or not.

Almost as soon as Star Trek Beyond hit theaters we were expecting a fourth film to get the green light. Franchise producer J.J. Abrams was already talking about an idea that would have brought Chris Hemsworth, who had a cameo in the first film as the father of James T. Kirk, back into the series, and everybody seemed very excited. Director S.J. Clarkson was brought on to direct the film and everything appeared to be going smoothly.

However, it seems that because Star Trek Beyond had a somewhat lackluster box office, Paramount Pictures was looking to save money and wanted Chrises Pine and Hemsworth to take pay cuts for the project. Negotiations stalled out, and from there what had seemed to be a promising new movie appears to have fallen apart.

Chris Hemsworth has recently stated that, in the end, he didn't think there was enough of a reason to move forward with the film, and so he decided to walk away from it.

Star Trek as a franchise certainly isn't going anywhere. As Zachary Quinto mentions, Star Trek: Discovery, which includes his character Spock, though played by a different actor, is still keeping the popular brand going. It seems almost certain that we will get more Star Trek on the big screen at some point, but we simply have no idea what form that will take.

Quentin Tarantino has mentioned an idea for a Star Trek movie that looks like it has as good a shot as anything of getting made, though it's unclear if his idea would include the current movie cast or not.

Rocketman Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

Rocketman Has Screened, See What People Are Saying

On the heels of the worldwide box office phenomenon known as Bohemian Rhapsody comes another tribute to a popular music icon who rose to fame in the ‘70s and loved to don a glittery get-up: Rocketman. Taron Egerton stars as Elton John in a biopic/musical framed around his breakthrough years.

Ahead of its theatrical release in a couple weeks, Rocketman has now premiered at Cannes Film Festival in France to a standing ovation from the crowd. That’s certainly a good sign! But did it lift off and soar in critics' eyes? Let’s take a look at some of the first reactions about the fantasy musical.

CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell is now in London doing interviews for Rocketman. Before that, he had a chance to see the movie and shared his rave review:

We can talk about Rocketman? It’s FANTASTIC. A wonderful, emotional and uplifting musical that weaves Elton John’s classics into a heartbreaking ode to fame. Taron Egerton is BRILLIANT and Dexter Fletcher stages jaw-dropping musical interludes. A home run!

That's a great start! Rebecca Keegan of The Hollywood Reporter sounds like she was absolutely floored by the film. Take a look:

Hot damn, Taron Egerton is the real deal. Rocketman is a musical about picking yourself up off your ass and Taron delivers the sweat, grit and vulnerability it needs.

Along with loving Taron Egerton’s iteration of the music sensation, she praised it for the “I’m Still Standing” message. The actor worked closely with the Elton John himself, even having to sing and act with John in front of him, which he understandably found to be extremely intimidating. The iconic musician has been quite supportive of Egerton though.

Not everyone was completely convinced by Egerton’s performance though. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw felt he didn’t quite hit every note with these words:

Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman is a good-natured biopic-slash-jukebox-musical with Taron Egerton gamely doing a middleweight impersonation, more comfortable with the lighter side, better at the tiaras than the tantrums.

When it comes to the dramatic aspects of Rocketman, Bradshaw didn’t feel like he sold it. Conversely, Stuart Oldham of Variety specifically pointed out the more somber moments of the film hitting a high for him. Here’s what he said:

Rocketman is fantastic, a musical drama that hits all the right notes, especially the sad ones.

Elton John’s husband of 26 years, John Furnish, recently watched the flick and said his personal struggles at the beginning of his career and prior to their life together made him want to give John a hug. Considering some of these reactions, as an audience we may collectively be feeling the same way as the film discusses his stint in rehab and sexual identity.

A couple months ago, there were rumors that Paramount had cut a “nude cuddle” between Taron Egerton’s Elton and Richard Madden’s John Reid due to the studio pulling back on the film’s adult content. This reaction from NY Times’ Kyle Buchanan indicates Rocketman does not steer away from portraying his sexuality. In his words:

Pleasantly surprised that Rocketman does not skimp on the gay sex, but the gayest thing about the movie is still Taron Egerton insisting he’s fat when he isn’t.

One primary criticism of last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody was the way it shied away from completely exploring Mercury’s relationships with men – Rocketman won’t be making that mistake. Richard Madden’s role is also gaining recognition as well. Here’s what Anne Thompson of IndieWire had to say:

Richard Madden is swaggeringly hot as Elton John’s manager John Reid who was also the villain in Bohemian Rhapsody. He really would make a great James Bond.

Comparisons to the Queen biopic just keep coming up! In addition to the film sharing a bit of the same subject matter and Dexter Fletcher being involved as director in both, it also includes one of the same villains. To round out the reactions, check out Ramin Setoodeh’s thoughts:

Rocketman is thankfully better than Bohemian Rhapsody. But it also feels like a Broadway musical that was forced into a movie. Or, The Greatest Showman set at the Abbey.

It looks like the movie is a lot more musical than biopic, but it still works better than the Queen film in his opinion. The Variety bureau chief also caught a sweet video of Taron Egerton’s own reaction upon seeing the film and watching the audience’s reaction at Cannes. Take a look:

The actor looks both happy and overwhelmed at his Rocketman debut! The 29-year-old actor is still fairly new to the industry and still best known for his Kingsman role. After the premiere, he and Elton John took to the stage to perform the song “Rocketman” together, captured by The Hollywood Reporter:

Wow! The actor has found a duet partner in Elton John before when they sang “Tiny Dancer” at an Oscars party in February. The pair look energized by the film’s screening in this performance. It was no doubt an emotional day for the both of them seeing their work on the film (and for John, quite literally his life’s work) finally premiere.

Rocketman hits theaters on May 31 and is expected to open at around $20 million during its first weekend as Godzilla: King of the Monsters presumably tops the musical.